Can you lose belly fat eating at maintenance?
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Just as an FYI, I too am already small with the belly issues as well. I am trying to improve my body composition but do have about 5 more pounds of fat to lose but gain it in muscle over time.
I am doing calorie cycling for several reasons and it is working for me. I am quite a but older than you and I tried this approach.
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Just as an FYI, I too am already small with the belly issues as well. I am trying to improve my body composition but do have about 5 more pounds of fat to lose but gain it in muscle over time.
I am doing calorie cycling for several reasons and it is working for me. I am quite a but older than you and I tried this approach.
I have no idea what a caloric cycling is lol and were you eating under your maintenance or at your maintenance?
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alanlmarshall wrote: »That's not possible. Exercising created a deficit. What's really going on is that it is difficult to estimate small changes in energy expenditure when you have so little to lose. It's an enviable problem to have.
yes it its…she can do a slow recomp at maintenance and will lose some fat and gain some muscle…however, it is a painfully slow process….
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jaysiekemso wrote: »Recomp is simply eating at (or around) maintenance calories while training. You can gradually reduce fat and add muscle.
It's the alternative to bulk/cut cycles.
It can be as simple as just eating at maintenance and training - your physique will change over time to reflect your performance. Or there are more complex routines involving calorie cycling which are more for those people with specific physique priorities.
Worth a read
http://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
Cool just gave it a quick read I used to wonder if there was a way to not choose to either bulk or cut haha so to summarise it, you can still improve your body and look better eating at maintenance and training hard over time
just keep in mind it takes a LONG time …we are talking like a year plus to see any gains…
a bulk/cut cycle may be quicker….
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alanlmarshall wrote: »That's not possible. Exercising created a deficit. What's really going on is that it is difficult to estimate small changes in energy expenditure when you have so little to lose. It's an enviable problem to have.
yes it its…she can do a slow recomp at maintenance and will lose some fat and gain some muscle…however, it is a painfully slow process….
So you're saying it's better if I keep cutting by eating under maintenance ? and once I've lost all the stubborn fat I can eat at maintenance and improve my body?
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jaysiekemso wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »How I got my waist down to 25", eat at about 100 cals under my maintenance, lift heavy, swim, run and cycle as fast as I can. Eat all the exercise cals back, but at 127lb I had to work all mine out as all the machines and estimates are too much for me. Get my nutrition right.
Really all you need is a deficit and a plan to hold on to the muscle
Hey thanks for that you look great btw. I've been eating about 500 calories under my maintenance. It worked at first but hasn't changed for 2 months now. A trainer at the gym said that I've been in a deficit for too long and my metabolism has slowed down. So now I'm eating about 200 calories under maintenance and still do the same amount of work out. Do you reckon this will work ?
You will find out, but be meticulous with your records, burns, weigh every day and keep a 7 day rolling average. Your needs may be less because you weigh less. Maybe you should reconsider all your numbers.
sounds like you could be in maintenance now. Metabolism slowed down? Mmmm not sure. You find out for yourself, that's wat I did to see how my body works. I picked a number from Scooby's calculator and went from there.
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jaysiekemso wrote: »Recomp is simply eating at (or around) maintenance calories while training. You can gradually reduce fat and add muscle.
It's the alternative to bulk/cut cycles.
It can be as simple as just eating at maintenance and training - your physique will change over time to reflect your performance. Or there are more complex routines involving calorie cycling which are more for those people with specific physique priorities.
Worth a read
http://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
Cool just gave it a quick read I used to wonder if there was a way to not choose to either bulk or cut haha so to summarise it, you can still improve your body and look better eating at maintenance and training hard over time
just keep in mind it takes a LONG time …we are talking like a year plus to see any gains…
a bulk/cut cycle may be quicker….
Wow! A year? Hahaha no way I'm waiting for that long lol guess I'll keep eating under maintenance then
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jaysiekemso wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »Recomp is simply eating at (or around) maintenance calories while training. You can gradually reduce fat and add muscle.
It's the alternative to bulk/cut cycles.
It can be as simple as just eating at maintenance and training - your physique will change over time to reflect your performance. Or there are more complex routines involving calorie cycling which are more for those people with specific physique priorities.
Worth a read
http://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
Cool just gave it a quick read I used to wonder if there was a way to not choose to either bulk or cut haha so to summarise it, you can still improve your body and look better eating at maintenance and training hard over time
just keep in mind it takes a LONG time …we are talking like a year plus to see any gains…
a bulk/cut cycle may be quicker….
Wow! A year? Hahaha no way I'm waiting for that long lol guess I'll keep eating under maintenance then
you are already pretty lean …so it is going to be harder and harder to drop additional belly fat…
like spring said you need to be meticulous with logging, training, tracking, etc…
what is your current body fat % ..from your pic I am thinking 18-20%?0 -
Springfield1970 wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »How I got my waist down to 25", eat at about 100 cals under my maintenance, lift heavy, swim, run and cycle as fast as I can. Eat all the exercise cals back, but at 127lb I had to work all mine out as all the machines and estimates are too much for me. Get my nutrition right.
Really all you need is a deficit and a plan to hold on to the muscle
Hey thanks for that you look great btw. I've been eating about 500 calories under my maintenance. It worked at first but hasn't changed for 2 months now. A trainer at the gym said that I've been in a deficit for too long and my metabolism has slowed down. So now I'm eating about 200 calories under maintenance and still do the same amount of work out. Do you reckon this will work ?
You will find out, but be meticulous with your records, burns, weigh every day and keep a 7 day rolling average. Your needs may be less because you weigh less. Maybe you should reconsider all your numbers.
sounds like you could be in maintenance now. Metabolism slowed down? Mmmm not sure. You find out for yourself, that's wat I did to see how my body works. I picked a number from Scooby's calculator and went from there.
I don't think I'm in maintenance because I worked out my TDEE and stuff and to be in maintenance I should be eating 1850 calories a day.0 -
jaysiekemso wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »How I got my waist down to 25", eat at about 100 cals under my maintenance, lift heavy, swim, run and cycle as fast as I can. Eat all the exercise cals back, but at 127lb I had to work all mine out as all the machines and estimates are too much for me. Get my nutrition right.
Really all you need is a deficit and a plan to hold on to the muscle
Hey thanks for that you look great btw. I've been eating about 500 calories under my maintenance. It worked at first but hasn't changed for 2 months now. A trainer at the gym said that I've been in a deficit for too long and my metabolism has slowed down. So now I'm eating about 200 calories under maintenance and still do the same amount of work out. Do you reckon this will work ?
You will find out, but be meticulous with your records, burns, weigh every day and keep a 7 day rolling average. Your needs may be less because you weigh less. Maybe you should reconsider all your numbers.
sounds like you could be in maintenance now. Metabolism slowed down? Mmmm not sure. You find out for yourself, that's wat I did to see how my body works. I picked a number from Scooby's calculator and went from there.
I don't think I'm in maintenance because I worked out my TDEE and stuff and to be in maintenance I should be eating 1850 calories a day.
I'm eating 1600 cal a day at the moment
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jaysiekemso wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »Recomp is simply eating at (or around) maintenance calories while training. You can gradually reduce fat and add muscle.
It's the alternative to bulk/cut cycles.
It can be as simple as just eating at maintenance and training - your physique will change over time to reflect your performance. Or there are more complex routines involving calorie cycling which are more for those people with specific physique priorities.
Worth a read
http://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
Cool just gave it a quick read I used to wonder if there was a way to not choose to either bulk or cut haha so to summarise it, you can still improve your body and look better eating at maintenance and training hard over time
just keep in mind it takes a LONG time …we are talking like a year plus to see any gains…
a bulk/cut cycle may be quicker….
Wow! A year? Hahaha no way I'm waiting for that long lol guess I'll keep eating under maintenance then
you are already pretty lean …so it is going to be harder and harder to drop additional belly fat…
like spring said you need to be meticulous with logging, training, tracking, etc…
what is your current body fat % ..from your pic I am thinking 18-20%?
wait, I just saw your OP …so you are 19% body fat ….Not sure about this, but I thought that 18% was considered pretty lean for females…
I think you would benefit from doing a bulk cycle. Up your calories and shoot for a .5 pound per week gain …ditch the cardio and lift progressively heavier things for four to five months…you will be impressed with the results…
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jaysiekemso wrote: »
And how are you eating?Springfield1970 wrote: »How I got my waist down to 25", eat at about 100 cals under my maintenance, lift heavy, swim, run and cycle as fast as I can. Eat all the exercise cals back, but at 127lb I had to work all mine out as all the machines and estimates are too much for me. Get my nutrition right.
Really all you need is a deficit and a plan to hold on to the muscle macros?
First, I'm a bulker and cutter. That's how I got my body fat so low and still looked curvy. Done a few cycles. Tried recomping, wasn't fit enough for it, too slow, and I wasn't experienced enough. Now I would find it easier, and I am recomping a little at maintenance now, but I know exactly what I'm doing with all my numbers now, and train 7-10 hours a week intensly.
Food, simple. .8g protein per pound of body weight. Fill the rest with carbs and fat. I eat exercise cals back so every day is different.
I also fuel my workouts so a big percentage of my calories are stacked 4 hours around my training as I don't want to burn fat while I'm training, just glycogen and carbs, I'm not going to make my poor body burn body fat while I train like I do! Eat well very soon after too.
0 -
jaysiekemso wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »Recomp is simply eating at (or around) maintenance calories while training. You can gradually reduce fat and add muscle.
It's the alternative to bulk/cut cycles.
It can be as simple as just eating at maintenance and training - your physique will change over time to reflect your performance. Or there are more complex routines involving calorie cycling which are more for those people with specific physique priorities.
Worth a read
http://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
Cool just gave it a quick read I used to wonder if there was a way to not choose to either bulk or cut haha so to summarise it, you can still improve your body and look better eating at maintenance and training hard over time
just keep in mind it takes a LONG time …we are talking like a year plus to see any gains…
a bulk/cut cycle may be quicker….
Wow! A year? Hahaha no way I'm waiting for that long lol guess I'll keep eating under maintenance then
you are already pretty lean …so it is going to be harder and harder to drop additional belly fat…
like spring said you need to be meticulous with logging, training, tracking, etc…
what is your current body fat % ..from your pic I am thinking 18-20%?
wait, I just saw your OP …so you are 19% body fat ….Not sure about this, but I thought that 18% was considered pretty lean for females…
I think you would benefit from doing a bulk cycle. Up your calories and shoot for a .5 pound per week gain …ditch the cardio and lift progressively heavier things for four to five months…you will be impressed with the results…
Yup my BF is 19% at the moment lol it was 28% about 5 months ago. Oh no I don't want to bulk.. Because bulking will also make me gain fat as well and I don't want to have to cut again after the bulking process lol plus I don't want big muscles anyway.. Just wanna be lean and toned with defined muscles. I'm pretty toned at the moment, just really wanna work on the stomach area... I still feel a bit skinny fat -.-
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jaysiekemso wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »Recomp is simply eating at (or around) maintenance calories while training. You can gradually reduce fat and add muscle.
It's the alternative to bulk/cut cycles.
It can be as simple as just eating at maintenance and training - your physique will change over time to reflect your performance. Or there are more complex routines involving calorie cycling which are more for those people with specific physique priorities.
Worth a read
http://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
Cool just gave it a quick read I used to wonder if there was a way to not choose to either bulk or cut haha so to summarise it, you can still improve your body and look better eating at maintenance and training hard over time
just keep in mind it takes a LONG time …we are talking like a year plus to see any gains…
a bulk/cut cycle may be quicker….
Wow! A year? Hahaha no way I'm waiting for that long lol guess I'll keep eating under maintenance then
you are already pretty lean …so it is going to be harder and harder to drop additional belly fat…
like spring said you need to be meticulous with logging, training, tracking, etc…
what is your current body fat % ..from your pic I am thinking 18-20%?
wait, I just saw your OP …so you are 19% body fat ….Not sure about this, but I thought that 18% was considered pretty lean for females…
I think you would benefit from doing a bulk cycle. Up your calories and shoot for a .5 pound per week gain …ditch the cardio and lift progressively heavier things for four to five months…you will be impressed with the results…
Yup my BF is 19% at the moment lol it was 28% about 5 months ago. Oh no I don't want to bulk.. Because bulking will also make me gain fat as well and I don't want to have to cut again after the bulking process lol plus I don't want big muscles anyway.. Just wanna be lean and toned with defined muscles. I'm pretty toned at the moment, just really wanna work on the stomach area... I still feel a bit skinny fat -.-
you are skinny fat because you rapidly lost weight and also a good portion of muscle mass went away too …
if you eat to .5 pound per week gain then you fat gains will be minimal and when you cut the fat will come off aster…
I am two and a half weeks into my cut and am down a tad over two pounds and down a half inch on my waist size..
Look at spring, she bulks and cuts and is shredded and sexy as hell….0 -
Springfield1970 wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »
And how are you eating?Springfield1970 wrote: »How I got my waist down to 25", eat at about 100 cals under my maintenance, lift heavy, swim, run and cycle as fast as I can. Eat all the exercise cals back, but at 127lb I had to work all mine out as all the machines and estimates are too much for me. Get my nutrition right.
Really all you need is a deficit and a plan to hold on to the muscle macros?
First, I'm a bulker and cutter. That's how I got my body fat so low and still looked curvy. Done a few cycles. Tried recomping, wasn't fit enough for it, too slow, and I wasn't experienced enough. Now I would find it easier, and I am recomping a little at maintenance now, but I know exactly what I'm doing with all my numbers now, and train 7-10 hours a week intensly.
Food, simple. .8g protein per pound of body weight. Fill the rest with carbs and fat. I eat exercise cals back so every day is different.
I also fuel my workouts so a big percentage of my calories are stacked 4 hours around my training as I don't want to burn fat while I'm training, just glycogen and carbs, I'm not going to make my poor body burn body fat while I train like I do! Eat well very soon after too.
OP ^ listen to this….trust me ...0 -
my gut feeling says this. I think you should keep at the 1600, but be super accurate, keep weighing every day, averaging out every 7 days, and just be patient. You could be in a stall right now, where your fat cells fill up with water to replace fat. They may release all in one go in a few weeks. It's happened on every single cut I've done. I stall for 6 weeks, get in a massive purple fit, then suddenly drop overnight to the weight I should have been seeing.
Patience.
Be aware also, that weigh training doesn't burn many calories. I only burn 400 swimming per hour, 500 cycling, and 600 running, and these are at race paces. I am 127lb like you.
You may be higher than 19% body fat too. Don't put too much faith in that number. It's good because it may explain why you aren't happy yet.0 -
Springfield1970 wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »
And how are you eating?Springfield1970 wrote: »How I got my waist down to 25", eat at about 100 cals under my maintenance, lift heavy, swim, run and cycle as fast as I can. Eat all the exercise cals back, but at 127lb I had to work all mine out as all the machines and estimates are too much for me. Get my nutrition right.
Really all you need is a deficit and a plan to hold on to the muscle macros?
First, I'm a bulker and cutter. That's how I got my body fat so low and still looked curvy. Done a few cycles. Tried recomping, wasn't fit enough for it, too slow, and I wasn't experienced enough. Now I would find it easier, and I am recomping a little at maintenance now, but I know exactly what I'm doing with all my numbers now, and train 7-10 hours a week intensly.
Food, simple. .8g protein per pound of body weight. Fill the rest with carbs and fat. I eat exercise cals back so every day is different.
I also fuel my workouts so a big percentage of my calories are stacked 4 hours around my training as I don't want to burn fat while I'm training, just glycogen and carbs, I'm not going to make my poor body burn body fat while I train like I do! Eat well very soon after too.
OP ^ listen to this….trust me ...
I've only done a lot of research on cutting, I haven't really looked into bulking. Watched some videos on it and it seemed pretty depressing lol cos you do gain a lot of fat during the bulk right? That's another reason why I don't wanna bulk
i'm not too fussed about gaining big muscles either. Just want a really slim body with a flat tummy. I think if I keep cutting and keep working out I will lose the stubborn fat.. Or am I wrong?
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jaysiekemso wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »
And how are you eating?Springfield1970 wrote: »How I got my waist down to 25", eat at about 100 cals under my maintenance, lift heavy, swim, run and cycle as fast as I can. Eat all the exercise cals back, but at 127lb I had to work all mine out as all the machines and estimates are too much for me. Get my nutrition right.
Really all you need is a deficit and a plan to hold on to the muscle macros?
First, I'm a bulker and cutter. That's how I got my body fat so low and still looked curvy. Done a few cycles. Tried recomping, wasn't fit enough for it, too slow, and I wasn't experienced enough. Now I would find it easier, and I am recomping a little at maintenance now, but I know exactly what I'm doing with all my numbers now, and train 7-10 hours a week intensly.
Food, simple. .8g protein per pound of body weight. Fill the rest with carbs and fat. I eat exercise cals back so every day is different.
I also fuel my workouts so a big percentage of my calories are stacked 4 hours around my training as I don't want to burn fat while I'm training, just glycogen and carbs, I'm not going to make my poor body burn body fat while I train like I do! Eat well very soon after too.
OP ^ listen to this….trust me ...
I've only done a lot of research on cutting, I haven't really looked into bulking. Watched some videos on it and it seemed pretty depressing lol cos you do gain a lot of fat during the bulk right? That's another reason why I don't wanna bulk i'm not too fussed about gaining big muscles either. Just want a really slim body with a flat tummy. I think if I keep cutting and keep working out I will lose the stubborn fat.. Or am I wrong?
Btw when you say 0.8g of protein per pound of body weight do you mean
Your over all body weight or your LBM?0 -
jaysiekemso wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »Recomp is simply eating at (or around) maintenance calories while training. You can gradually reduce fat and add muscle.
It's the alternative to bulk/cut cycles.
It can be as simple as just eating at maintenance and training - your physique will change over time to reflect your performance. Or there are more complex routines involving calorie cycling which are more for those people with specific physique priorities.
Worth a read
http://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
Cool just gave it a quick read I used to wonder if there was a way to not choose to either bulk or cut haha so to summarise it, you can still improve your body and look better eating at maintenance and training hard over time
just keep in mind it takes a LONG time …we are talking like a year plus to see any gains…
a bulk/cut cycle may be quicker….
Wow! A year? Hahaha no way I'm waiting for that long lol guess I'll keep eating under maintenance then
you are already pretty lean …so it is going to be harder and harder to drop additional belly fat…
like spring said you need to be meticulous with logging, training, tracking, etc…
what is your current body fat % ..from your pic I am thinking 18-20%?
wait, I just saw your OP …so you are 19% body fat ….Not sure about this, but I thought that 18% was considered pretty lean for females…
I think you would benefit from doing a bulk cycle. Up your calories and shoot for a .5 pound per week gain …ditch the cardio and lift progressively heavier things for four to five months…you will be impressed with the results…
Yup my BF is 19% at the moment lol it was 28% about 5 months ago. Oh no I don't want to bulk.. Because bulking will also make me gain fat as well and I don't want to have to cut again after the bulking process lol plus I don't want big muscles anyway.. Just wanna be lean and toned with defined muscles. I'm pretty toned at the moment, just really wanna work on the stomach area... I still feel a bit skinny fat -.-
you are skinny fat because you rapidly lost weight and also a good portion of muscle mass went away too …
if you eat to .5 pound per week gain then you fat gains will be minimal and when you cut the fat will come off aster…
I am two and a half weeks into my cut and am down a tad over two pounds and down a half inch on my waist size..
Look at spring, she bulks and cuts and is shredded and sexy as hell….
Thank you! I'm also lying in bed eating chocolate bars, go figure!
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jaysiekemso wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »jaysiekemso wrote: »
And how are you eating?Springfield1970 wrote: »How I got my waist down to 25", eat at about 100 cals under my maintenance, lift heavy, swim, run and cycle as fast as I can. Eat all the exercise cals back, but at 127lb I had to work all mine out as all the machines and estimates are too much for me. Get my nutrition right.
Really all you need is a deficit and a plan to hold on to the muscle macros?
First, I'm a bulker and cutter. That's how I got my body fat so low and still looked curvy. Done a few cycles. Tried recomping, wasn't fit enough for it, too slow, and I wasn't experienced enough. Now I would find it easier, and I am recomping a little at maintenance now, but I know exactly what I'm doing with all my numbers now, and train 7-10 hours a week intensly.
Food, simple. .8g protein per pound of body weight. Fill the rest with carbs and fat. I eat exercise cals back so every day is different.
I also fuel my workouts so a big percentage of my calories are stacked 4 hours around my training as I don't want to burn fat while I'm training, just glycogen and carbs, I'm not going to make my poor body burn body fat while I train like I do! Eat well very soon after too.
OP ^ listen to this….trust me ...
I've only done a lot of research on cutting, I haven't really looked into bulking. Watched some videos on it and it seemed pretty depressing lol cos you do gain a lot of fat during the bulk right? That's another reason why I don't wanna bulk i'm not too fussed about gaining big muscles either. Just want a really slim body with a flat tummy. I think if I keep cutting and keep working out I will lose the stubborn fat.. Or am I wrong?
Btw when you say 0.8g of protein per pound of body weight do you mean
Your over all body weight or your LBM?
All body weight.
I was scared of bulking too. So I got down to 123lb, under 15% body fat before I did it. Actually, it wasn't planned. But I was so unhappy with how I looked at 123lb, loads of scrawny muscle and a flat butt, and then I started eating loads and couldn't really find maintenance, so my bulk happened by accident! I ate 250 cals over maintenance, lifted heavy 3x per week and I gained 10 pounds over three months and absolutely loved the results. Perhaps 5 of that was fat and water, 5 of lean body mass. I only cut down again to get my running weight lower.
To think I was the same weight (135lb plus) and over 30% body fat a few years before! That's what starving, bingeing and not eating enough protein does to a body. I looked every year of my age at the time-40. I'm now 44. I don't look it lol!0
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